[Book Review] Kapuria, Radha. Music in Punjab: Courtesans, Bards, and Connoisseurs, 1800-1947. 416pp. Oxford University Press 2023

<p dir="ltr">Punjab in various national, sub-national and transnational imaginaries – Pakistani, Indian, Punjabi and diaspora – is understood by many as the land of folk culture. Whether it is the state-led politics of cultural commemoration in East Punjab or the thriving scene of South Asian diaspora cultural production across the world, it is the folksy, rural and earthy image of the region that dominates the historical representation of its performing traditions and artists. This quintessential association between the land and music has often led to stereotypical assertions like ‘serious music and Punjab were incompatible’, as Radha Kapuria states in her book <i>Music in Colonial Punjab</i> (p.3). It is a timely intervention to interrogate this enduring stereotype that reduces Punjab’s performance cultures to merely popular performance forms such as <i>giddha</i>, <i>kikli</i><i> </i>and <i>bhangra</i>.